Adrian Smith (basketball) facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 5, 1936 Farmington, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| High school | Farmington (Farmington, Kentucky) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1958 / Round: 15 / Pick: 85th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1961–1972 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1960 | USAF All-Stars | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1961 | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1969 | Cincinnati Royals | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1971 | San Francisco Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1972 | Virginia Squires | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA and ABA statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 8,750 (11.3 ppg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,626 (2.1 rpg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,739 (2.3 apg) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Adrian Howard "Odie" Smith, born on October 5, 1936, is a famous American former professional basketball player. He was known for his amazing shooting skills and played for teams like the Cincinnati Royals. Adrian also won a gold medal at the Olympics!
Contents
Adrian Smith's Early Life
Adrian Smith was the fifth of six children. His family lived in a farmhouse in Farmington, Kentucky, that did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. He got the nickname "Odie" from a comedian on the Grand Ole Opry. As a child, he went to a small three-room school in rural Graves County, Kentucky.
Since his family did not have money for a basketball, Adrian learned to shoot using a ball his mom made. She rolled up his dad's socks to create a makeshift basketball. He almost did not play high school basketball. The school's principal and coach agreed to drive him home, seven miles away, after practices. When he was a senior, he only had one scholarship offer. It was from Murray State University, but he waited too long, and the offer was taken back.
College Basketball Career
Adrian Smith decided to play basketball at Northeast Mississippi Junior College. This school is now known as Northeast Mississippi Community College. Adrian played very well there. His coach, Bonner Arnold, told the famous University of Kentucky coach, Adolph Rupp, about him. Soon, Kentucky offered Adrian a scholarship.
Adrian did not play much in his junior year at Kentucky at first. But then, Kentucky's star guard, Vernon Hatton, had to have surgery. For seven games, Adrian stepped up and scored an average of 16.3 points per game. In his senior year, Adrian was a starter. He averaged 12.4 points per game.
His team, called the "Fiddlin' Five," won the national championship in 1958. They beat Seattle University 84–72. Adrian scored seven points in that championship game. He averaged almost 14 points in Kentucky's four wins during the NCAA tournament. Adrian graduated from Kentucky with a business degree.
After College: Olympics and Early Teams
Adrian was chosen in the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He was picked in the 15th round, as the 85th player overall.
Playing for the USAF All-Stars
Instead of joining the Royals right away, Adrian joined the U.S. Army. He played on the Army's All-Star team. In 1960, he was chosen to play for the United States men's national basketball team. This team went undefeated and won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy.
The U.S. team won all eight of its games in the Olympics. Future Hall-of-Famers like Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, and Jerry West were on the team. In their first game against host Italy, Adrian was the top scorer with 17 points. The team won their games by a huge average of 42.4 points.
Playing for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
After his time with the Army, Adrian played for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots in 1961.
Professional Basketball Career
Cincinnati Royals Star Player
Adrian Smith started his professional career in the 1961–62 NBA season. For his first three seasons, he was a backup guard. He played behind Oscar Robertson and Bucky Bockhorn. He averaged about 20 minutes per game. His scoring averages were 7.2, 8.9, and 9.4 points.
In his fourth season, 1964–65, he became a starter for the Royals. He played alongside Oscar Robertson. He played over 34 minutes per game. He averaged 15.1 points per game. He was also very good at shooting free throws, making 83% of them.
The 1965–66 season was his best. He averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game. The Royals had a good season, winning 45 games. They played against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. They pushed the Celtics to a fifth and final game. On December 15, he scored a career-high 34 points against the Celtics. Then, on January 5, he scored another career-high of 35 points.
During this season, Adrian was chosen for the 1966 NBA All-Star Game. It was a big surprise because the game had sixteen future Hall-of-Famers. But Adrian was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP)! He scored 24 points in just 26 minutes. This was his only All-Star appearance. For winning the MVP award, he received a brand new Ford Galaxie car.
In his sixth NBA season, 1966–67, Adrian averaged 16.6 points per game. He also led the NBA in free throw percentage, making 90.3% of his shots. He was a very reliable player, leading the league in games played for the fourth time. In 1967–68, Adrian averaged 15.6 points per game. This was his last year as a starter. In 1968–69, he mostly played as a backup. He averaged 9.6 points per game.
Moving to Other Teams
In the 1969–70 season, after 32 games with the Royals, Adrian was traded. He went to the San Francisco Warriors. He played 45 more games for them that season. He averaged 5.9 points per game for the whole season. In 1970–71, his 10th NBA season, he played only 21 games. He averaged 5.3 points per game in his final NBA season.
Adrian then played for the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires in the 1971–72 season. He averaged 5.1 points per game there. He also played 13 times for the United States men's national basketball team.
Awards and Recognition
The entire 1960 USA Olympic basketball team, including Adrian Smith, was honored. They were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010. Adrian is also a member of the Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame. He is also in the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
Life After Basketball
After his basketball career, Adrian Smith worked for many years. He was a commercial relationship manager for Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati. He is now a vice president there. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Paula. He still owns the Ford Galaxie car he won from the 1966 NBA All-Star Game!
Images for kids
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Adrian Smith from the 1958 Kentuckian
See also
In Spanish: Adrian Smith (baloncestista) para niños
